Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the body for all telecommunications companies and those providing subsidiary services to telecommunications service providers in Nigeria, has said that the current prices of calls, data, and other telecommunication services are no longer sustainable,
Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, ALTON, who stated this Wednesday, at the second edition of the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo in Lagos, blamed of the current market realities such as increases in energy costs, inability to access foreign exchange, and more
Adebayo explained that even though the conversation to review prices is hard, it must be had for the industry to continue to deliver communication service in the country.
He said, “We also must have one hard conversation, I know it is difficult, but it is one we must have. The current pricing regime of the industry is not sustainable. We are basically selling below cost. It is not easy to talk about, but we cannot continue like this. We must allow market forces to determine prices. On our end, we must look at a more realistic pricing offering because today’s pricing regime is not sustainable.”
Adebayo congratulated Bosun Tijani, the new minister of communications, on his appointment and wished him well.
He however, noted that the independence of the NCC is sacrosanct to the success of the ICT sector in Nigeria.
Adebayo said that the politicisation of the industry has been responsible for most of the current issues besieging it, adding that the USSD debt with banks would have cleared if political agendas had not prevailed.
He stated, “We must not subject our regulator to political agendas. The biggest problems that we have today, that we are dealing with as an industry, are some simple policy issues that have subjected to politics.
“Let me speak for a bit about the issue of USSD debt. That was a simple commercial agreement that entered into political intervention and has led us to these points. The people dealing with the problems today, both at the level of the NCC, the ministry, CBN did not create the problem.
“USSD is a provided service under a willing-buying pattern. We provide the service, and get paid for the service that was rendered. We provide the service, we don’t get paid, then we follow the rules. But when that time comes, and the policy makers intervenes, then it becomes a problem.”
He urged that the NCC must be allowed to remain independent under the new administration.
